Tag Archives: The Expendables

There’s a fine line between law and chaos, and it’s called Will Ferrell. As the More is More Mom®, I was all about seeing……more of The Other Guys.

You have to know, that my very favorite part of the movie going experience is the coming attractions. It is biologically impossible for me to be on time for anything. My standard greeting (which I should have printed on a calling card) is, “Hi, I’m sorry I’m late.” But for the movies? No. I’m never late. I like to arrive early to the movie theater, with Hershey’s chocolate bars and bottled water for everyone in my party nestled in my enormous purse because I think it is criminal what the movie people charge a family for refreshments. You know, Tom Cruise, you don’t really need $20 million per picture. How about charging us less for popcorn?

We saw a few promising previews;

The Expendables While I am customarily a comedy kind of girl, this is the action picture for me! I am a sucker for nostalgia and what could be more nostalgic than the most fabulous action hero’s of the ‘80’s and 90’s? I don’t care how much work Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have had, they’re still great! In my opinion, there isn’t a motion picture made today that shouldn’t star Bruce Willis (or my super cute boyfriend Ryan Reynolds). Besides, how could they possibly exclude mega action super star Bruce Willis, star of Die Hard I, II, III and IV? Toss in Mickey Rourke, the fantastic Terry Crews (of Everybody Hates Chris fame), Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jet Li and Jason Stathom and I think you’ve got more fun than the “A” Team!

Devil Another nightmare from M Knight Shyamalan. Five people caught in an elevator? My advice would me to take the stairs.

Due Date A buddy-road picture for the ages. Where are Bob Hope and Bing Crosby when you need them? My main man, Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. finds himself unwittingly stuck on a whacky road trip with Zach Galifianakis (Alan, Fat Jesus, from The Hangover) as he tries desperately to make his way home to his pregnant wife. Best preview quote of the movie going season: “Check yourself, before you wreck yourself.”

RED What a lucky day! Two Bruce Willis sightings! Retired CIA agents Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman (I don’t care if he was Driving Miss Daisy, he’ll always be from The Electric Company to me….), Helen Mirren and Mary Louise Parker find themselves in the line of fire as they uncover one of the biggest conspiracies in government history (since the CIA mind control experiments portrayed in Men Who Stare at Goats).

As for the Other Guys, you’ve totally got me again with nostalgia. What better way to open a movie than with The Rock and Samuel L. Jackson in an overblown action sequence tearing up the streets of New York City? For me this picture is signed, sealed and delivered with the appearance of Michael Keaton (“I’m Batman” and “220-221, whatever it takes.”) as the Captain with a part time job at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

In my movie going experience, most Will Ferrell movies are an acquired taste (subsequently Elf is one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time), but The Other Guys was funny from the get go. What I love about Will Ferrell is that he absolutely believes he is every character he has ever played, and Allen Gamble is no exception. He is the ultimate straight man and he plays it perfectly.

I really only know Mark Whalberg as underwear model/rap sensation Marky Mark, Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights, Sergeant Digham from The Departed and as the Executive Producer of Entourage. Mark Whalberg is hysterical as the bitter and angry Terry Hoitz, who proclaims, “I’m a peacock, you’ve gotta let me fly.”

Will Ferrell is such a square that is drives Mark Whalberg to near insanity, like when Will gets pumped for a call by listening to The Little River Bands, Reminiscing, or as a passenger as Will drives his Prius. Though the best running gag is Whalberg’s continually bewilderment at all of the “hot” girls that throw themselves at Will Ferrell (Eva Mendes and Brooke Shields….and no one gets between Brooke and her Calvin’s).

Chuck, Amanda and I saw this together, and all things told, I would say that The Other Guys was…more fun and more laughs!

Why am I always late for everything? As the More is More Mom®, I suppose it’s because I’m always trying to squeeze in just one more thing. However, when it comes to going to the movies, I do my level best to be on time. I hate to miss the Coming Attractions, because sometimes that’s the very best part of the movie going experience.

As with most families, evenings can be kind of tough. If we’re not racing off to a game, dropping off a gaggle of teenagers, picking up a gaggle of teenagers, we’re hosting a gaggle of teenagers that require some supervision in our home. Sunday afternoon Chuck and I were able to sneak in a quick movie run (allowing plenty of time to be home to see our Chicago Blackhawks play Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Why does the Flyer’s #19, Hartnell, look like a cross between the kindly Grizzly Adams and the Unabomber? He plays like the Unabomber). Killers looked entertaining, so why not?

It’s so exciting when there are a couple of movies that look fairly promising.

• Charlie St. Cloud didn’t look too bad if you’re a Zac Efron fan. Shocking I’m sure (because I have a teenager daughter and the Disney Chanel plays 24/7 here), but I have never seen High School Musical I, II or III (but I do think you should Get Your Head in the Game, Gotta, Getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha head in the game…). Despite the fact that there didn’t appear to be any singing or dancing involved, this picture looked sweet and touching.

• I’m afraid that the previews might very well have shown the best parts of this movie, but Going the Distance looked entertaining enough. I absolutely adore Drew Barrymore. She is the most charming gal in the motion picture business (with Sandra Bullock running a close second), so I would give it a shot for that reason alone. Throw in her on again, off again cutie pie Justin Long, and you might just have a winner (or at least not a complete stinker).

• Annette Bening and Julianne Moore make a beautiful lesbian couple in The Kids are Alright. Why not? Mark Ruffalo is the sperm donating wanna be dad, and you’ve got yourself a family comedy…..

• What do 80’s Mega-Action-Superstars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sly Stallone and Bruce Willis (totally in my top ten favorite actors EVER!!) have in common? They all star in The Expendables….. Though it does beckon the question, were Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford and Jean Claude Van Dam busy? I’m not a super fan of the Action Blockbuster, but throw in the come back kid (or old man) Mickey Rourke, his fabulously creepy costar in The Pope of Greenwich Village, Eric Roberts, martial arts expert Jet Li, Rocky’s nemesis Dolph Lundgren, current action hottie Jason Stathom, and Terry Crews (the dad on Everybody Hates Chris….)…..and I’m there!

I had extremely high hopes for Killers. I mean we’re talking about the absolutely adorable Ashton Kutcher (tweet, tweet) and the beautiful but befuddled Katherine Heigl (in the part that she endearingly plays in all of her movies).

The ever handsome Tom Selleck and the lovely and hysterical Catherine O’Hara are perfectly cast as Ms. Heigl’s parents, so where did it all go awry? The action and the intrigue were perfect in the first part of the movie. I was all about Martin Mull as Ashton’s boss. The banter was witty, with a certain Hollywood classic’s feeling. Sadly though, it became a ridiculous farce as the bounty on Ashton’s head was unveiled and everyone and their brother wanted him dead. I mean seriously, how on Earth did their suburban neighbors get their hands on all of those firearms? I live in the suburbs and we are merely armed with SUV’s, wine and a competitive edge.

Over all Killers wasn’t too bad, but it left me wanting more. I can tell you however, with certainty…..Killers was no Hot Tub Time Machine! Where is John Cusack when you need him?

PS-Please visit my audition for my own show on the OWN for Oprah. Vote early and often…..that’s the Chicago way!